Jump to content

JW Less Performed Music


Recommended Posts

With the Vienna phil concert in the news recently because of A TV showing on Austrian tv on June 1st and the DG CD coming out, I was thinking why some of his lesser known works are not performed . It always seems to be the same stuff from Star wars, Jaws, Harry potter ,Indiana  jones , Superman and a few others. I have a preference for his other  film compositions , which are  suited to a big orchestral concert in so many ways. It would be nice to hear works  from his earlier day , particularly when he transitioned from TV to Films eg. The Cowboys, The Poseidon Adv, Towering Inferno, Close Encounters,  I guess not deemed popular enough for concerts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Minority report 1 said:

With the Vienna phil concert in the news recently because of A TV showing on Austrian tv on June 1st and the DG CD coming out, I was thinking why some of his lesser known works are not performed . It always seems to be the same stuff from Star wars, Jaws, Harry potter ,Indiana  jones , Superman and a few others. I have a preference for his other  film compositions , which are  suited to a big orchestral concert in so many ways. It would be nice to hear works  from his earlier day , particularly when he transitioned from TV to Films eg. The Cowboys, The Poseidon Adv, Towering Inferno, Close Encounters,  I guess not deemed popular enough for concerts.

Close encounters and The Cowboys are performed regulary by orchestras.

 

Regarding Vienna, it was clear that on his first visit he would conduct his most famous pieces. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Like you, I want to see and hear less performed Williams scores from his earlier days (like the 60s) in concert, but alas, that seems very unlikely. Gotta draw them crowds and play them crowdpleasers.....over and over again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Steve said:

Close encounters and The Cowboys are performed regulary by orchestras.

 

Regarding Vienna, it was clear that on his first visit he would conduct his most famous pieces. 

Um. not true and not clear. Thank you

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know some people who regard TreeSong as one of the best violin concertos of the 20th century, and would probably be grateful if his “non-film” music was played more often.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

37 minutes ago, Minority report 1 said:

Um. not true and not clear. Thank you

What is not true?

 

Clear regarding vienna was that they wouldnt perform Stepmom, Rosewood or Five sacred trees ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Fabulin said:

I agree. It was clear that Anne Sophie-Mutter wouldn't have enough time to pick up bassoon playing.

 

I'm sure the bassoon would humour her. After all, she's not a woman you can say no to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Williams conducted both his CE3K suite and The Cowboys Overture in London in 1998. I think it's been a while since he conducted Cowboys, but I don't think performances of the Close Encounters suite are rare.  Cowboys sure sounded amazing live!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Incidentally, in case you missed it, Minority report 1, I hosted a Wiliams concert in Oslo on January 18th, the same day he was in Vienna. In this concert, we included some rare pieces, including the world premieres of BACHELOR FLAT and CHECKMATE. And a couple of semi-rarities, like a version of "Duel of the Fates" with choir, and the "Keeper of the Grail" theme from INDY 3. Find the full programme and concert report here:

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Thor said:

Incidentally, in case you missed it, Minority report 1, I hosted a Wiliams concert in Oslo on January 18th, the same day he was in Vienna. In this concert, we included some rare pieces, including the world premieres of BACHELOR FLAT and CHECKMATE. And a couple of semi-rarities, like a version of "Duel of the Fates" with choir, and the "Keeper of the Grail" theme from INDY 3. Find the full programme and concert report here:

 

 

 

When will Deutsche Grammophon release the bluray and CD?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, pete said:

Williams conducted both his CE3K suite and The Cowboys Overture in London in 1998. I think it's been a while since he conducted Cowboys, but I don't think performances of the Close Encounters suite are rare.  Cowboys sure sounded amazing live!

 

The Cowboys Overture was performed at Tanglewood last year, although in the portion of the concert conducted by Newman (Williams conducted the last third of the concert). And the CE3K suite is of course among his frequently performed works, and was also on the Vienna programme.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Edmilson said:

I'd like to see A Window to the Past, Parade of the Slave Children and The Rebellion is Reborn performed live someday.

Awesome tracks. The Rebellion is Reborn was performed in Vienna this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, Jurassic Shark said:

Who are those people you're referring to? William Ross?

One of the top musicologists working in Britain currently.

5 hours ago, Thor said:

Incidentally, in case you missed it, Minority report 1, I hosted a Wiliams concert in Oslo on January 18th, the same day he was in Vienna. In this concert, we included some rare pieces, including the world premieres of BACHELOR FLAT and CHECKMATE. And a couple of semi-rarities, like a version of "Duel of the Fates" with choir, and the "Keeper of the Grail" theme from INDY 3. Find the full programme and concert report here:

 

 

Nice!!!! Great choices 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought the USC concert he did around 2007 had a lot of rare works.  I hadn't heard the Cowboys Overture before then and he did Amistad which is rare plus the Horn Concerto.  He did something for wind quintet too I think it was an arrangement from Harry Potter for wind quintet.  Then I think a bunch of the usual's like Harry Potter, Jaws, Superman, Raiders, Star Wars, Imperial march, ect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I still have programs of back in the day when its was just JW and the Pops in Boston, and it was a concert of basically whatever he wanted, opening with golden age stuff, then a Mozart violin concerto, and then I remember he did the Accidental tourist, Close Encounters, and the first HP fresh off the press, whenever that was. I'm not sure when it became "film night", but i remember it started to alternate kind of, with a lot of the same stuff getting rotated. For years ET was the encore, and now its the Imperial March. Sound the Bells and the Cowboys Suite were used a lot to open concerts, and for years and years I think Memoirs of a Geisha was a staple. He used to do Dracula a lot in Boston, but I remember now that I've seen him conduct Close Encounters many times, but only at Tanglewood, maybe once in Boston, but I can't remember. Super man used to be a staple as well, haven't heard that in years now either except he did conduct it last year at Tanglewood with ASM. Old man ramble over...... must be time for my pills....

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Gruesome Son of a Bitch said:

Always

 

I saw the Royal Scottish National Orchestra play music from Always at a concert of John Williams's music at Usher Hall in Edinburgh in 2017.  Williams had loaned the score to conductor and friend Richard Kaufman from his personal library.  It was honestly one of the highlights of an excellent concert and should be programmed more often.

 

The concert also featured some other Williams rarities such as Jim's New Life from Empire of the Sun and Flight and Technology from The Unfinished Journey.  The concert was discussed here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually, now that I think about it Always has been programmed in Boston before.

 

Jurassic Park I think I heard conducted twice in maybe.... 20 years of going to see him in Boston/ Tanglewood. I think it isnt done much because it takes a lot of rehearsal to get the right balance and pitch. Most recordings, even the Vienna one, is pitchy in the big lush moments.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/27/2020 at 2:42 PM, Thor said:

In this concert, we included some rare pieces, including the world premieres of BACHELOR FLAT and CHECKMATE. And a couple of semi-rarities, like a version of "Duel of the Fates" with choir, and the "Keeper of the Grail" theme from INDY 3.

Wow!

Were any good recordings made of that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/27/2020 at 1:42 PM, pete said:

Williams conducted both his CE3K suite and The Cowboys Overture in London in 1998. I think it's been a while since he conducted Cowboys, but I don't think performances of the Close Encounters suite are rare.  Cowboys sure sounded amazing live!

It sure did, as did the encore on July 4: HELL'S KITCHEN. A rare privilege to hear that one, it was.

As for older material there is a YouTube clip of the "disaster suite" from Filmharmonic '76.

THE TOWERING INFERNO was going to be played at the Proms, in 2017, but was cancelled.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

50 minutes ago, Naïve Old Fart said:

It sure did, as did the encore on July 4, HELL'S KITCHEN. A rare privilege, to hear that one, it was.

 

Oh man, I'd LOVE to hear something from SLEEPERS live. What a marvelously underrated score it is (and film, for that matter). And having a drum kit on stage would be great too, one of Williams' super-rare forays into a rock-infused sound.

 

Williams has often performed pieces from whatever current project he's worked on in his concerts, but many of them have never become part of the repertoire, so to speak. Like if you went to a Williams concert in the mid 90s, he might have performed something from NIXON or whatever. But then hardly ever again once a few years had passed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I guess that's why there were two distinctive sets, in 1998: one being the "popular" stuff (JW's greatest hits, as it were), and the other set comprising of lesser known material. I enjoyed set 1, but I enjoyed set 2 a lot more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And let's not forget that artists also have to be mindful of their audience. Especially when they're known for big, popular hits and make their first (and possibly only) appearance in a particular country. I've heard several people say about the Vienna concerts that they were a bit disappointed to hear so many "unknown" pieces, but fortunately the played the "more important" ones in the end.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've heard similar thoughts when we've gone to see him and the program wasn't just greatest hits across the board. But this is just how it goes for any live performer, fans who are in real deep will have their faves that they're likely never going to hear, unless there's a particular tour devoted to that (some artists tour specific albums, Weird Al Yankovic did a "no parodies" tour a couple years ago, ha! But the trade-off is that those things are usually in smaller venues)

 

Williams is obviously a crowdpleaser, he loves audiences. He makes the occasional concession to an obscurity for himself and whoever's out there that might remember, and he'll do things like forgo main themes for supporting pieces from popular movies like "Marion's Theme" or "Out to Sea and Shark Cage Fugue" but he's aware that even though he's conducted "The Imperial March" a million times and there are people who have seen him do it a million times, there are also tons of people at any given concert for whom it's a first and that's exciting for them. Not to mention those die-hards who would still love nothing more than to hear it a million more times. Tbh there are probably more of them showing up than those who want him to do Sleepers, anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have no problem understanding Williams' motivations, as well as the general audience's desire for the crowdpleasers, but that does in no way delegitimize the genuine desires and wishes of hardcore fans to hear the rarer pieces in concerts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd be particularly happy to hear pieces from Seven Years in Tibet, Sleepers, Nixon, The Lost World being performed live. It was wonderful hearing the Dracula End Titles in the LSO concert

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had the tremendous luck in the early 2000's that the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra had several film music concerts where they performed some of the less performed material in lieu of the crowd pleasers although nothing as esoteric as Checkmate or anything like that. We actually got to hear Indy's Very First Adventure and Escape from Venice from the Last Crusade and the film version of the Parade of the Slave Children (Slave Children's Crusade) from Temple of Doom that while from very popular and well-know John Williams scores were a huge surprise as these certainly weren't the usual concert material I was anticipating.

 

But alas most of these film music concerts are not built with the diehard fans in mind but the more casual fandom who happen to like Star Wars, Jurassic Park or E.T. which often dictates the programmes of these concerts. Concert with Diamond Head, Not with My Wife You Don't, Penelope, Kraft Suspense Theater and Jane Eyre wouldn't just draw the crowds more than it would be a head scratcher to the general populace.  And certainly I would love to hear an all obscure John Williams scores and concert pieces concert sometime. Even an all John Williams concertos concert would be terrific (I have thusfar only heard his Tuba Concerto live). Williams certainly has countless wonderful scores and pieces that I would love to hear in concert hall that have never been introduced into regular concert repertoire.

 

And actually just last year another orchestra (Vantaa Pops Orchestra) programmed e.g. Goodbye Mr. Chips Overture for their concert of John Williams' music. And it seems that due to the popularity of the concerts (all three sold out) they have prepared another one in the coming October with this wonderful programme (needless to say I got my ticket already):

 

The Reunion / War Horse

Parade of the Slave Children / Indiana Jones

Marion’s theme / Raiders of the Lost Ark

Scherzo / Motorcycle

Chairman’s Waltz / from Memoirs of Geisha

Sayuri’s theme and End Credits / from Memoirs of a Geisha

Sugarland Express theme / Sugarland Express

March / 1941

Swing Swing Swing / 1941

Main theme, Reys theme, March of the Resistance, The Jedi Steps / Star Wars Force Awakens

Overture / The Cowboys

Main theme / 7 Years in Tibet

Reprise and End Credits / Catch Me if you Can

Hymn to the Fallen / Saving Private Ryan

Somewhere in my Memory / Home Alone

Harry’s Wondrous World / Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Battle of the Heroes – The Revenge of the Sith / Star Wars

Duel of the Fates – The Phantom Menace / Star Wars

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, Romão said:

Seven Years in Tibet

I'm really confused by how I haven't come across a single re-recording from that one.

Even though it's really quite a stunningly beautiful piece of music.

 

Would be nice to occasionally drop Schindler's List and have this one instead.

(Sacrilege...?)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/1/2020 at 10:16 PM, Thor said:

I have no problem understanding Williams' motivations, as well as the general audience's desire for the crowdpleasers, but that does in no way delegitimize the genuine desires and wishes of hardcore fans to hear the rarer pieces in concerts.

 

Absolutely. That's why I think it's duty of the conductors and musicians who will keep his legacy alive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

55 minutes ago, Thor said:

Indeed. I hope I get to a point in my life where I can host and arrange more concerts. I'm working on the first Nordic film music festival, after all. I have an idea for this, which is a jazz ensemble performing a string of rare, jazzy Williams pieces from the 50s and 60s (and perhaps some newer jazz things, like CATCH ME IF YOU CAN -- just to have a couple of familiar titles). But most of these would require new arrangements (like we did with BACHELOR FLAT and CHECKMATE), and that's both expensive and time-consuming.

 

To minimize costs, you could start with concerts using the smallest ensemble possible - a piano.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines.